Sid Meier's Civilization V

Multiplayer is functional, but the only way I suggest spending any time with it is with friends playing cooperatively against the AI. For a number of reasons, including the Civil Service slingshot above, Civ V's design does not lend itself well to cutthroat human-versus-human play. That said, I didn't come across any technical issues that prevent playing with friends from being enjoyable.

Sure, I miss some of the deeper inter-civilization relations that the more defined religion and government setup brought in Civilization IV, but that's nothing anyone new to the series will even think twice about. With all the tips, advisers and tools in place, this is the first Civilization for PC that I feel is worth just about every person's time. Go forth and create, subdue, and exploit. Do as Firaxis has done, and bring Civilization to the masses.

Civilization V keeps everything that makes the series great, makes the game more accessible to non-fans, and overhauls many of the finer gameplay details. Every PC gamer owes it to himself to give this game a shot. Like every Civ title, this game has replay value galore, and every minute just deepens your addiction.